Nick Munchel

What did you work on yesterday?

Yesterday I primarily worked on two things. First, I looked at cash-flow projections as we try to plan for our future and forecast the growth of our company. Second, I was working through some of the issues that arise twice a month when we run payroll. I’m trying to clean up our current system so it makes life easier for our accounting team and our employees.

How would you describe what you do at Ridgeline?

My primary function is to evaluate how we’ve performed financially in the past and project how we’ll do in the future. I make sure the executive team understands that, but it’s also important to me that our program managers understand those things too. I want them to be empowered to make decisions about their programs. We’ve experienced rapid growth at Ridgeline, which is really exciting and also presents new issues every day. I help us address the challenges we run into on a daily basis.

Why did you come to Ridgeline?

I was looking to transition into something new and met with Ridgeline’s executive team and Founders as part of my exploratory process. I was really energized by the mentality the Founders had towards the company – they were willing to relinquish control and push decision-making down to other people. The Founders had figured out what roles they wanted to play (and consequently which roles they did not want to play) and asked other people to take over as CEO, COO and in other key leadership roles. I had never seen that before in this industry. In addition, strategy was shared across the company – the whole leadership team knew what they were trying to do and where they were trying to go. It was very refreshing.

Why have you stayed at Ridgeline?

I really enjoy the new challenges I face every day; it’s certainly not boring! The culture is amazing. I enjoy coming to work every day. I enjoy the people I work with and the work we do. We face interpersonal challenges with grace and seek to understand people’s motivations. I feel like a lot of companies strive for that but Ridgeline has accomplished it. It’s a really safe place to grow professionally and be challenged.

What advice would you give to someone considering working at Ridgeline? Why should they do it? Why should they not?

It’s important to understand that it’s a growing, evolving company. If you want to be successful at Ridgeline you have to be willing to adapt, accept the change that happens on a daily basis and strive to understand how problem sets come together. Come if you like these challenges, don’t if you don’t. If you’re the kind of person who wants to know exactly what you’re going to do each day and have each of those things align with your job description, this is probably not the place for you.

What kind of things do you enjoy outside of work?

I am super extroverted and love to spend time with friends and family, ideally outside. I play old man softball, love to golf, camp, hike, backpack, and ski. I am exploring both photography and cooking. I find great balance in working hard at whatever I’m doing – if it’s work, I’m all in; if it’s being with my family, I’m all in. It’s not a teeter totter where it’s either one or the other, rather, each begets the other. Ridgeline provides a great opportunity to enjoy both work and life – doing well at one makes you better at the other and it goes both ways. Ridgeline supports opportunities to succeed at both.